[TrevorPup]

I’ve got a 5 month old black lab puppy (Trevor), who we rescued. I started feeding him puppy chow, but he turned his nose up at it, so I finally found DFA, and was like YAY!! for good information!

I know I’m not helping the situation, but he’s tried many, MANY different brands of puppy food, and has been reluctantly eating a few pieces here and there. I’ve tried the set dinner limits, and he’ll still just nibble. About every 2 days, he’ll suddenly wolf down the bowl, and go right back to nibbles. I wanted him on 4Health, because it’s pretty good quality for a good price (I work 1 day a week, bring home $100/week, and am also feeding 9 cats). Mom brought over a bag of Iams ProActive Smart Puppy Large Dog puppy food, and he’ll eat that a little more enthusiastically. It’s rated lower than the 4Health (3 stars instead of 4), so do I keep him on the 4Helath, or give in and go to Iams?

The only one he’s eaten vigorously and did GREAT on was raw, when I did that for about a month. But I couldn’t keep feeding him the meat, so I had to shamefully go back to kibble.

Thoughts and advice? I’ve never known such a picky lab before! D:

[crazy4cats]

Hi Trevor’s puppy parent:

Congrats on your new addition! It is a little unusual for Labs to be picky. I have two very unpicky labs. LOL! I don’t know if you have checked out any of the various articles on this site, but there are a few that contain valuable information for feeding large breed pups. They have special requirements to help with keeping their joints healthy while they are growing. The biggest being calcium levels in food. Here is a link with helpful information:
/best-dog-foods/best-large-breed-puppy-food/

Here is another link with recommended foods for large breed puppies:
/forums/topic/large-and-giant-breed-puppy-nutrition/page/36/

Please write back with any other questions you may have. Thank you for rescuing a puppy and good luck!

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Trevor, here’s a list of foods that are appropriate for large breed puppies. I have had great results with Victor and Earthborn. Check the list for specific formulas. https://docs.google.com/a/dogfoodadvisor.com/file/d/0BwApI_dhlbnFTXhUdi1KazFzSUk/edit?pli=1

[C4D]

Hi Trevorpup,
Having 2 Labs myself it does seem hard to believe there is such a thing as a fussy Lab! LOL!
Labs & C4C have given you some great advice. Victor and Earthborn are both reasonably priced dog foods. Have you tried adding just a bit of wet (canned) food mixed into the food. That might make it more enticing since he loved the raw food. Anything that tastes more like real food will usually attract a fussy dog. I have 2 Labs and fosters on a regular basis so I need everyone to eat all their food and bowls are cleared. I always mix some canned food and warm water into the kibble. It allows the kibble to absorb the flavor of the canned food and it’s always been a success for me.
Congratulations on your pup and thanks for rescuing! From a foster point of view, it allows another one to be saved! 🙂

[Ellen D]

My labradoodle puppy is SuPeR fussy. I’ve started him on a raw diet this week, and he will FINally eat without a battle, but I went through a bunch of different kibble brands because he still needs kibble for lunch at doggy day care. I know all dogs have different tastes, but the one kind I found that he will eat without acting like I’m offering him marbles to eat is Fromm Beef Frittata Veg. Maybe that will work for your lab! It’s one on the list as being suitable for a large breed puppy as well.

We went through: Nature’s Instinct Large Puppy (realized had too much calcium and he stopped eating it anyway), Wellness Core Puppy (he ate it ok once and refused after that), Avoderm Revolving Menu Turkey (he will eat it grudgingly), Nature’s Variety Instinct Rabbit (wouldn’t touch), and Fromm Pacific Ocean Fish Puppy (wouldn’t touch it).

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